I ran my fifth Pit Run 10K today, and my emotions are tangled. I did not achieve my goal of finishing in less than an hour, but I was about five minutes faster than last year. I didn't beat my personal best of 1:01:59 — but I came close.

Yet looking back, I don't feel disappointed. I gave it my best effort, and I had fun. Here's what happened along the way.

When we got to Neahwa Park, I met up with the group and our coach, Michele Rabeler. I found more friends at the start line. When the gun went off at 1 p.m., they scattered, pulled forward as a human kaleidoscope of about 700 runners fanned out on the pavement.

I was prepared for the pull of the group, and I tried to hold back, knowing I'd need to save my energy. I did the first mile in 9:15, too fast a pace to maintain. I backed off a little, slowing to get water on Maple Street and hitting mile 2 in 19:45. On East Street, people were out on their lawns, cheering the runners on.

"Thanks for coming out to support us," said a woman in front of me. I felt myself smiling.

As I headed up East Street, I noticed Michele and Rosa Brindley, a member of our group, just ahead of me. I caught up to them and we grabbed water before the big climb.

It's about a mile from the bottom of East Street to the foot of Bugbee Hill, and then another half-mile up Bugbee. We reached mile 3 at 30:30, a little slower than I'd wanted. Rosa slowed down as we pushed up the hill. I felt sick to my stomach, and my legs were starting to feel like lead. But I knew my dad was at the top of the hill with Powerade and a big smile.

"Boston, Massachusetts,. Lake Placid.Oneonta," boomed a radio disc jockey, music blaring in the background, as he asked passing runners where they were from.

"Hey, Big Chuck!" Michele yelled, as we ran by. "Hey, Michele!" he replied, and we were almost to the top. I could see my dad. Michele ran to get my Powerade, and I slowed for a few gulps before the fun part: going down.

Michele was a great coach. Not only did she volunteer to carry my Powerade bottle, she also stayed right by my side — or a few strides ahead — constantly monitoring how I was doing and offering words of encouragement.

We hit mile 4 somewhere around 41:30. The hill had really set me back. It was going to be pretty tough to make my goal. But I gave it my best shot, picking up the pace as we sailed down Ravine Parkway and West Street. We hit mile 5 at around 50:30, making up some lost time. But I was getting really tired.

As we entered the park, we saw group members Jim Capone and Marlene Reed, who had just finished. They were heading back out on the course to support other members of our crew. We told them Rosa wasn't far behind us.

My husband and daughter cheered me on as we began the final loop through the park, past the softball fields, around the pond and the swings. Finally, the end was in sight. The digital clock over the finish line counted off the seconds as we sped up for one last push, finishing side by side in 1:02:15.

My husband, daughter and parents were waiting for me, and after getting water and celebrating, I headed to the sidelines. I looked up just in time to see Jim heading toward the finish line again, this time with Rosa, who raised her arms in victory as she took the last few steps.

I cheered as, one by one and two by two, all the members of the group came down the finish-line pike.

Standing in the Brooks' chicken line afterward, Peter Livshin and Linda Evanczyk told me what a great experience they'd had. Peter said he'd done the race seven or eight minutes faster than any of his many training run-walks on the course. "We feel 10 years younger," said Linda. When I left them to rejoin my family, they were talking about training for the Utica Boilermaker 15K next July.

I caught up with Rosa later. She said crossing the finish line was an emotional experience, and she's ready to do it again. "I want to do the training next year," she said, "and bring more people with me."

I found Terry Fernley making plans with some other group members to run together and possibly train for the Boilermaker. She described what impressed her about her first race experience.

"Having the community out cheering you on really makes a difference," she said. "It really helps bolster your energy when you don't think you have any left."

As for me, well, I haven't abandoned my elusive goal. I think of the past 12 weeks as a starting point, and this race was one challenge in what I hope will be a lifetime of running.

Best of all, now I have a reason to train for next year's Pit Run.

Lisa Miller is The Daily Star's community editor. She can be reached at 441-7216 or lmiller@thedaily star.com.